Lucifer
These Arms Are Snakes Lyrics

The opening lines to These Arms Are Snakes's "Lucifer" seem to promise a love song, albeit an unconventional one, with the singer addressing "open positions" and "songs of love". But the following lines reveal a darker tone, with the singer urging the listener to "repent against yourself" and "swallow your own foot", a phrase that is both grotesque and evocative of self-sabotage. The stench this action produces is likened to "fermentation", a term that suggests both decay and transformation, and is then connected to the listener's brain, which is described as being just like the past. The repetition of the phrase "just like" creates a sense of insistent but futile comparison, as if the singer is frustrated with the listener's inability to change or improve their situation.

The second verse of the song shifts from the personal to the societal, with the singer invoking "shallow old rotting stiffs" who continue to perpetuate outdated ideas and practices from their graves. The repetition of the phrase "just like" is multiplied until it becomes a kind of chant or incantation, as if the singer is trying to break through the weight of history and routine that keeps people stuck in unhealthy patterns. The final lines of the song offer a glimmer of hope, or at least a sense of direction, with the singer referencing "aspiration" that is "in a key" and "counting tickets". These images suggest a desire for something transcendent or uplifting, and a willingness to put in the work to achieve it. The final repetition of the phrase "just like" is cut off abruptly with the word "fire", implying that the singer is ready to burn down what has come before and start anew.